


Serendipity

by imaythrowuponya



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Wrong Apartment AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-01-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 18:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3178442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaythrowuponya/pseuds/imaythrowuponya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is an obscenely attractive man in Laura’s apartment, Derek’s brain supplies unhelpfully.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pt. 1

**Author's Note:**

> moving this over from my tumblr because why not?

Never again, Derek vows as he marches up the street towards Laura’s apartment block. The next time Laura offers to “help” with anything he’s going to run in the opposite direction. Or maybe just lock himself in his apartment until she forgets about it. Point is, if she was trying to convince him that his choice to be firmly single for the last couple years and probably a few into the future is a bad one then she never should have sent him on that blind date.

Ignoring the look of horror he gets from the woman holding the door open for him, he stomps into the building and bypasses the elevator to head for the stairs. When he reaches Laura’s door he doesn’t bother to knock.

“This time I swear to God I will actually follow through with your murder.” Derek says, barging into the apartment and coming to an abrupt stop half way in the door.

There is an obscenely attractive man in Laura’s apartment, Derek’s brain supplies unhelpfully. It’s a good thing the rest of his body processes seem to have shut down or there would have been a very high chance of him saying something out loud. The man is tall and lean, dressed for comfort in a pair of sweatpants and a soft looking t-shirt. His hair looks like he spent the entire day running his finger through it and- Christ his mouth, he really needs to close his mouth before Derek pops the world’s most inappropriate boner.

“Holy shit! What the hell? Are you covered in blood? Oh God please tell me that’s not blood.” The man yelps, moving the bowl of popcorn in his hands in front of him like it could act as some kind of shield.

“What? No, it’s- who are you?”

“Who am I? Dude, you’re the one who just burst into my apartment shouting about murdering me.” 

“Your apartme…” Derek finally drags his eyes away long enough to look around and comes to the horrifying realization that no, this is not Laura’s apartment and yes, he did just yell at the most attractive person he’s ever seen about committing homicide.

This is absolutely all Laura’s fault.

“You’re in the wrong apartment aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh good. So you’ll be murdering one of my neighbors then.”

“No, it’s not…I’m not actually going to murder anybody.”

“I would believe you except your face tells a different story and you are covered in red stuff that looks suspiciously like blood.”

“It’s spaghetti sauce.”

The man just stares blankly at him, still clutching the bowl of popcorn like a lifeline. Loud explosions fill the silence as the TV continues playing Pirates of the Caribbean.

“Spaghetti sauce.” The man repeats slowly. “You have…that’s…Oh my God this is the most bizarre thing that has ever happen to me. As soon as my heart rate goes back to normal and the adrenaline rush leaves my system I’m going to laugh about this.”

The grip on the popcorn bowl finally loosens and Derek let’s out a long breath.

“I was actually coming to see my sister.” Derek says glancing at the door that’s still being held open by his hand. “Who apparently lives right next door to you…”

“Oh! The death threats make more sense now.” The man says offering a tentative smile. Derek huffs a laugh, reaching up to rub the back of his neck to hide the blush he can feel making it’s way up his face.

“Also, I’m pretty sure Laura isn’t home. I heard her leave about an hour ago and haven’t heard her come back. And trust me I would have. These walls are thin and she makes an obnoxious amount of noise for such a tiny woman…and oh my God, I didn’t mean that in a sexual way at all, just she talks on the phone a lot and throws the door open kind of hard and wow okay, shutting up now.”

Derek grins, shaking his head, “I understand what you mean. When we were kids she always got caught sneaking out because she didn’t know how to do anything quietly. My mom always said she sounded like a heard of elephants moving through the house.” 

The other man laughs, bright and loud causing something inside Derek’s chest to tighten.

“Um, so I guess I should get going.” Derek coughs. “Sorry for…this.”

“It’s fine but, uh…no offense, dude, you still kind of look like a serial killer. I don’t know how you even got into the building. Do you want to just get cleaned up, real quick? You can use my bathroom.”

Derek looks down at himself and yeah, he does look kind of awful. He’d been wearing a white button up shirt and a black tie. Now his entire left shoulder and part of his chest is covered in red sauce. It might actually even be in his hair. That would explain a lot of the looks he got in the street. He hopes nobody called the police.

“Yeah, that would probably be a good idea.” He follows the other man down the hall where he’s handed a towel and pointed towards the bathroom.

“Thanks. I’m Derek, by the way.”

“Stiles.” The man smiles shyly before disappearing back into the living room, giving Derek some privacy.

Stiles’ bathroom is similar to Laura’s, small and clean. Derek runs a section of the towel under the sink faucet and begins to clean tomato sauce out of his hair. A few minutes later most the sauce is off his skin and there’s a tap on the open door. Stiles leans in with a sheepish look on his face, twisting a gray Henley nervously in his hands.

“Uh, I didn’t know if maybe you wanted to change your shirt?” He runs a hand through his hair and Derek can’t help but stare a little harder than necessary. “It’ll probably be a little tight but at least it doesn’t have your dinner all over it. You can just give it back to Laura and she’ll get it to me.”

“Thanks. It wasn’t actually my dinner though.” Derek says taking the shirt and laying it next to the towel on the sink. He pulls his tie off in one quick pull, having already loosened it on the walk over.

“Oh?” Stiles says his voice cracking slightly. “It sounds like there might be a story there.”

Derek snorts, beginning to unbutton his shirt. “You could say that.”

Stiles starts coughing and Derek looks at him worriedly. There’s a bright red flush spreading from his cheeks down to his neck and his eyes are pointedly averted.

“I’ll just…um, wait out here. Throw the towel into the hamper when you’re done.”

Derek agrees and finishes changing. He makes sure he got all the sauce off his neck before folding his clothes up and carrying them out to where Stiles is sitting on the sofa. His feet are curled up under him and the popcorn bowel is sitting directly in his lap. There’s an open pizza box sitting on the coffee table with only a few slices eaten. Derek’s stomach growls loud enough that Stiles raises an eyebrow at him.

“Hungry?” Stiles asks, gold eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Ah, yeah. Sorry. I actually never got to eat dinner.”

“Hm, well I’ll let you eat some of my pizza if you tell me the story of how you ended up with pasta dumped over your head.”

“Do you often feed strangers in exchange for humiliating stories?” Derek asks but places the ruined clothes on the floor and sits down anyway.

“No, oddly enough I don’t get a lot of men bursting through my door covered in suspicious looking food.” Stiles passes Derek a paper plate with a mischievous grin. Derek rolls his eyes but can’t help the answering smile from creeping onto his face.

They both eat in silence for a few minutes before Stiles nudges Derek with his shoulder (when did they get that close together on the sofa?) and says,

“Come on. Spill!”

“Laura set me up on a blind date. I don’t really…date. Haven’t for years because…well just because.” Derek glances nervously at Stiles. He doesn’t want to talk about Kate right now, afraid it will ruin the sense of contentment and safety he feels sitting next to Stiles on his worn couch. But Stiles doesn’t look suspicious or like he’s going to pry. He’s just watching Derek with wide understanding eyes, resituating himself so he’s leaning back against the armrest and balancing the plate on his bent knees. Something loosens in Derek’s chest and the words come easier after that.

“It was one of her friends from work and she was nice enough but she kept bringing up her ex so I may have, um…made an inappropriately timed joke to try and change the subject. And as she was storming out of the restaurant she knocked into a waiter who spilled a plate of spaghetti and meat balls.”

Stiles tries to look sympathetic for all of two seconds before he’s attempting to stifle his laughter in a slice of pizza. Derek glares half heartedly at him but it just makes the other man laugh harder.

“Don’t worry, dude.” Stiles says finally gaining control of himself. “I know all about inappropriately timed jokes. It’s why I never got laid in high school.”

Silence falls over them again but it’s comfortable. They both eat their pizza and watch Johnny Depp swagger across the television screen. Derek can’t help but think about how this is exactly what a date should be like. No unnecessary fancy restaurants or superficial clothing, just good company and a relaxed atmosphere.

“So, do you not work with Laura? I’ve heard her mention that it’s a family business but you said your date tonight was a work friend.”

“No I don’t. I’d make a lousy lawyer.” Derek laughs shaking his head. “I’m actually a history professor at Columbia. I’m working on my PhD.”

“That’s awesome! I graduated from NYU last year. I teach kindergarten at a private school in Brooklyn now.”

The conversation naturally progresses from there and the movie continues in the background forgotten. Derek talks about his thesis and Stiles recounts stories about his kids and how stressful it can be but he loves every second of it anyway. Derek finds himself mesmerized by the movement of Stiles’ mouth and how his hands gesture wildly throughout the story telling. His passion is obvious and draws Derek in like a moth to a flame. Before he knows it two hours have passed and Derek’s phone starts playing the Jaws theme.

“Hello,” Derek answers warily, throwing Stiles an apologetic look.

“Der! I haven’t received any angry phone calls from you yet tonight so I’m guessing the date went well?” Laura sings through the phone. Stiles must be able to hear her because he snorts and presses his lips together like he’s trying not to smile.

“Ah, no, actually the date was pretty awful but the night didn’t turn out too bad.” Derek replies, blushing at Stiles’ blinding smile.

“Putting out on the first date. Classy, little bro.”

“Laura,” Derek growls, slapping a hand across his eyes while Stiles cackles next to him.

“Wait, who’s that? Oh my God, Derek did you pick up another guy on your date with Tammy? Because that’s just rude.”

Stiles stop laughing abruptly but Derek doesn’t look at him because he can hear the echo of Laura’s words through the door leading out to the hall. “No, Laura I didn’t do that either. I’m in Stiles’ apartment right now.”

“What?” Laura says as she throws Stiles’ door open, phone still pressed to her ear.

“Is being able to make a dramatic entrance something that’s required in your family?” Stiles asks.

“Apparently.” Derek mutters.

“That’s not what you wore on your date right?” Laura asks eyeing Derek’s black pants and Henley. Stiles chokes back a giggle.

“No, I wore that.” Derek retorts pointing at the pile of stained clothes on the floor.

“What the hell? Why is it covered in…is that marinara sauce?”

“I’m not telling the story again.”

“You’re absolutely telling the story again. And you’re also telling the story of how you ended up in my neighbors apartment eating pizza.” Laura groans when she holds up the ruined white shirt. “You two idiots didn’t think to soak this? Now the stain is never going to come out.”

Stiles opens his mouth to answer but Laura’s already gone, leaving the door open behind her. They hear the door to her apartment open then slam shut.

“I’m seeing now how you possibly could have gotten strong armed into a blind date.” Stiles says into the silence. Derek snorts and shakes his head.

“Well, I’d better go.” Derek says standing up reluctantly. Stiles nods and follows him to the door.

“Thanks, again.” Derek turns to face Stiles just outside the threshold.

“No problem, man. It was fun.” Stiles replies with a tentative smile that Derek returns. They stand there for a few more moments just staring at each other until Stiles laughs and ducks his head.

“Would you maybe, um…want to do this again? But more officially. Like you can come over again and I’ll make dinner that’s not pizza. We can watch a movie and I can kiss you like I’ve been wanting to all night.”

“Yeah,” Derek coughs, trying to force down the giddy feeling bubbling up from his chest. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Awesome.”

By the time Derek walks into his sister’s apartment after exchanging numbers with Stiles, his cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. Laura throws him a knowing smirk over the sink where she’s scrubbing at his shirt and Derek can’t even muster up the proper amount of annoyance.


	2. Pt. 2

Stiles doesn’t think he’s ever been simultaneously so excited and so anxious for a Friday in his entire life. He’s distracted the whole day and it doesn’t go without notice. His kids are more rambunctious than usual and by three Stiles gives up trying to teach anything and let’s them have free play until it’s time to take them to their buses.

It’s been two days since he texted Derek about coming over for dinner. Coming over tonight for dinner. And he still has no idea what he’s going to make.

What if he makes something that Derek doesn’t like? Or is allergic to? Oh my God, what if Derek has an allergic reaction and dies in his apartment?

“Mr. S?”

Jesus, when was the last time he’s done something like this?

Never. He’s never done anything like this. All his relationships through undergrad were casual in a way only college relationships can be and once his graduate classes started he didn’t even have time for that. He got his Master’s in a year of no sleep and ramen noodles. Student teaching was hardly any better. If pressed he’d probably say his most successful relationship was with Heather and they never actually dated.

“MR. S!”

Stiles jumps, almost knocking a stack of papers off his desk with a wayward arm. Swallowing the curse words threatening to spill from his mouth, he turns his attention to the kindergartener watching him with narrowed eyes as if she knows exactly what he was about to say. 

“Sorry, Helena, what can I do for you?”

“You’re acting weird today, Mr. S.” The girl says seriously. If Stiles has learned anything from working with children it’s that they’re way more perceptive than anybody gives them credit for and have no concept of what is polite to point out and what isn’t. A combination that can be truly detrimental to one’s self-esteem.

“Sorry,” Stiles grimaces. “Did you have a question?”

“Yes.” Helena screws her face up for moment then sighs. “But I forgot.”

“That’s alright.” Stiles chuckles. “If you think of it again, let me know.”

Helena nods before turning back to join the other kids on the rug. Stiles exhales dramatically, letting his head fall into his hands.

“Did Jimmy glue his fingers together again?” A female voice says from the door.

“No, but the day isn’t over yet. Don’t jinx me.”

Allison laughs, walking around to perch herself comfortably on the desk next to Stiles.

“Then what’s wrong?” She probes, nudging his shoulder with her knee.

“Don’t you have a class to teach?”

“Nope, it’s my planning period. Now spill.”

“I don’t know what to make for Derek tonight.” Stiles confesses dejectedly.

Allison hums, leaning back on her hands.

“Everything you make is good Stiles. Just go with something you’re comfortable with, it’s only the first date anyway.”

“It is only the first date!” Stiles hisses. “And yet I invited him to my apartment for dinner. That’s way too much for a first date right? I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Stiles head makes a dull thud when it hits the desk and he feels Allison’s hand in his hair, patting him sympathetically.

“You didn’t exactly meet normally so why would you date normally?” Allison points out, rational as always. “Does it feel like too much to you?”

“…No.” Stiles admits, lifting his head to rest his chin on his arms. “No, I got the feeling he doesn’t like going out all that much.”

“There you go.” Allison beams at him and ruffles his hair. “Stop worrying so much Stiles and just do what feels right.”

“You should make macaroni and cheese.” Stiles and Allison’s heads both snap up to see Helena standing innocently in front of the desk again. Kindergarteners, Stiles decides, shouldn’t be stealthy. There are a thousand different reasons why that would be disastrous.

“Everybody likes macaroni.” Helena continues with a shrug of her tiny shoulders.

“I’ll keep that in mind Helena, thank you.” Stiles smiles.

“I remembered my question now.”

“Hm?”

“Is Jimmy really allowed to use glue as hair gel?”

Stiles scrambles out of his chair, swearing under his breath while Allison laughs sadistically behind him.

Stiles takes Jimmy to the nurse to get his hair washed out and the rest of the day thankfully passes without further incident. Well, except for when Donovan stands on his chair as everybody is getting ready to leave, beating his chest like a gorilla. Helena yanks him back down roughly before he can build up momentum and whispers that if he gets recess taken away she’s going to shove his face into the sandbox the next time they’re allowed out.

Stiles is pretty sure that Helena has older sisters.

He breathes a sigh of relief as the last kid gets on the bus and the doors close. Allison comes up and stands next to him, linking their arms.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah.” Stiles huffs.

“Good.” Allison throws him a dimpled grin Stiles can’t help but return. He kisses her on the side of the head, moving his arm around her shoulders and squeezing once.

“I’d better go, I have to swing by the grocery store before I head home. Thanks again Allison, seriously. Tell Scott he has the best wife in the world and he should buy you something nice, okay?” Stiles calls over his shoulder as he rushes back to his classroom. He hears Allison laugh and wish him luck.

He enters the grocery store still with no idea what he’s going to make. As he passes the pasta section he slows to a stop, a smirk tugging on his lips.

-.-

Traffic is awful but he makes it back to his apartment by quarter to five, leaving Stiles two and a half hours to make diner and take a shower. Thankfully his apartment is already clean.

Stiles tosses his messenger bag and books into the small office that used to be Scott’s bedroom before he moved in with Allison and trades his school clothes for a ratty t-shirt and jeans. On his way back to the kitchen he flicks on the stereo. Etta Jones starts singing through the speakers as he begins pulling things out of the grocery bags, humming along.

He starts by filling a pot with water and sitting it on the stove with another smaller pot of marinara sauce, the boxes of pasta stacked neatly off to the side. Then he combines the ground beef, sausage, breadcrumbs, milk, eggs, parsley, cheese and spices into a bowl. Rolling the meatballs has always been his favorite part. He remembers his mom putting on jazz music and calling Stiles to come help her with dinner. He would watch her dump all the ingredients into the faded blue mixing bowl and then stick his fingers into the gooey mess. Once it was all mixed together, Claudia’s hands would join his smaller ones in rolling the meat and placing them temporarily onto a foil covered cookie sheet. The products of his labor always ended up being lumpier and smaller than his Mom’s but Claudia would just laugh and tell him they were going to taste delicious all the same.

Smiling softly at the memory, Stiles heats a pan of olive oil and starts searing the meatballs. Once they’re done he drops the meatballs into the pot of marinara sauce, dumps the noodles into the water and turns the heat on low. He showers quickly but thoroughly, making sure there’s no glitter or paint anywhere on his body, then spends way too long trying to figure out what to wear. Eventually he decides on red pants and a stripped sweater.

Twenty more minutes.

Somehow he manages to keep himself busy enough in the kitchen that he doesn’t notice the passage of time. There’s a nock on the door and Stiles almost drops the bottle of wine in his hand.

“Crap. Yup, coming!”

He sits the bottle carefully on the counter and jogs to the door, retching it open. Derek smiles at him and Stiles feels all the air punch out of his lungs. Derek looks even better than he did a week ago, dressed in loose fitting jeans that sit low on his hips and a soft purple Henley pushed up his forearms.

“Hi.” Stiles says, finally unsticking his tongue from the roof of his mouth.

“Hello.” 

Somebody clears their throat to Stiles’ left making him jump.

“Well, you boys have fun.” Laura drawls. “Have him back by midnight, Stiles.”

She gives a wave with her fingers, winks and disappears back into her apartment. Derek glares after her and shakes his head.

“She thinks she’s funny.”

“She kinda is.” Stiles grins when the glare is turned on him.

“Don’t encourage her.” Derek warns.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Stiles steps back from the door. Derek follows him into the kitchen where Stiles abruptly turns around and rubs the back of his neck.

“Okay, look I’m going to be honest with you. I have like zero experience with serious adult relationships so I’m kinda just making stuff up as I go. Just a…ah PSA?”

Stiles glances up from under his lashes to meet Derek’s eyes and immediately relaxes when he sees Derek’s mouth crooked in a half smile.

“Me either.” Derek shrugs. “But the night I met you was better than any date I’ve been on in my entire life so I think you’ll do fine.”

“Awesome. Well I guess not awesome that that was the best date you’ve ever been on since it really wasn’t even a date. Hopefully we can top it tonight though. I definitely have better food this time.” Stiles takes a deep breathe, trying to calm his racing heart. Derek’s eyes are intense and having all that focus on him is heady.

“I’m looking forward to it. Smells great.” Derek answers, thankfully ignoring the word vomit that just occurred.

“I think you’ll enjoy it.” Stiles smirks then nods to the wine and glasses on the counter. “Mind taking that over?”

He dishes out pasta, meatballs, and the decidedly not garlic bread onto two plates then follows Derek into the dining room. He sets the plate in front of Derek with a flourish, who takes one look at it before letting out a strangled laugh.

“Hilarious.”

“Thanks.” Stiles says, still smirking as he sits down. “I figured since you didn’t get to eat it last time might as well try again.”

Derek sighs dramatically and rolls his eyes but takes a bite all the same. His eyes widen and he swallows quickly, glancing up at Stiles again.

“That’s really good.”

“Thanks. It was my Mom’s recipe.”

If Derek notices that use of past tense, he doesn’t comment. Instead he just nods and asks how Stiles’ week at school went. The dinner passes quickly after that. Stiles shares stories about his students and gently prods Derek into talking about his. Stiles almost chokes when Derek reluctantly admits that just last week a girl pulled a scene straight out of Indiana Jones and wrote ‘Love You’ on the back of her eyelids. 

“Man, I can hardly blame her.” Stiles snorts, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “If I had you as a professor I’d probably fail. Either from not being able to concentrate or just so I could have you again.”

Stiles flushes bright red when he realizes he just said all that out loud. Glancing up at Derek doesn’t help, if anything it makes it worse. There’s so much heat in his gaze that Stiles feels it on his face like a physical touch.

“Um,” Stiles clears his throat. “I have the second Pirates of the Caribbean if you’re up for it?”

Derek nods and helps him clear the dishes before following him into the living room. Stiles puts in the DVD, turns off the lights and joins Derek on the couch. The easy, comfortable atmosphere from dinner has vanished. The air is charged with something that makes Stiles hyperaware of every movement Derek makes on the other side of the sofa. The first hour of the movie passes with Stiles constantly on edge. When he feels a slight brush against his hand he jumps rather dramatically. Somehow both he and Derek have migrated to the center of the sofa and what used to be a good two feet of space between them is now two inches. Stiles feels like a teenager all over again with the amount adrenaline pumping through his body when they haven’t even kissed yet.

Yeah okay so that needs to be fixed.

Stiles turns to find Derek already looking at him, his impossible eyes burning in the light from the TV.

What movie are they even watching?

Derek moves first, tilting his head down slightly, brushing his lips against Stiles’ in the barest of touches, making him shiver. Derek presses back in with more pressure but the kiss stays chaste.

That changes when after a few moments Derek runs his tongue questioningly across Stiles’ bottom lip and he lets out an involuntary moan of approval. Derek practically growls in response, pulling Stiles closer by the waist and pressing deeper into his mouth. The angle is strange. Stiles knows it must be putting a strain on Derek’s neck and Stiles needs to get closer so he leverages himself up onto Derek’s lap. He’s a little over eager and ends up basically plastering himself to Derek’s front but neither of them are complaining. Stiles can feel Derek’s heart beating against his own rib cage and the hair tangled in his fingers is ridiculously soft. The hands pressing against his lower back are firm but gentle. This is the most amazing Stiles has ever felt with another person. Kissing Derek is better than some of the sex Stiles had in college.

When they eventually break for air, Derek buries his face in Stiles’ neck, gently rubbing his stubble over Stiles’ pulse point. Gasping, Stiles rests his cheek against Derek’s temple, enjoying the way his hands are now moving in soothing strokes up Stiles’ back.

“Wow.” Stiles breathes and then laughs shakily before pulling back a little.

“Yeah.”

“Um, just so you know I’m not above putting out on the first date but I’m pretty sure Laura has her ear pressed to the wall right now and there’s no way I’m going to be able to be quiet.”

Derek groans, hiding against Stiles’ neck again.

“You’re right. I would want to hear you anyway.”

Now it’s Stiles’ turn to groan, pulling Derek back by his hair and kissing him again. It somehow gets even more heated than before and he’s about to say fuck it when Derek pulls away, breathing heavily and glancing at the clock under the TV. It’s half past eleven but Stiles balks at the idea of Derek leaving just yet. Gently he presses a kiss to Derek’s forehead.

“Stay?”

“Okay.” The answer is instantaneous. Stiles beams and Derek’s answering grin is enough to make his heart stop.

Derek maneuvers them so he’s on his back and Stiles is lying between his legs and across his chest. They finish the movie like that, trading soft kisses and quiet words. When Laura comes and bangs on his door at midnight, they ignore her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. Only the story is mine.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr [here.](http://queerfelicity.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. Only the story is mine.
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr [here.](http://queerfelicity.tumblr.com)


End file.
